[NTLUG:Discuss] Kernel 2.6.13.x considerations...

[Spicerun]

Hi,

I just thought I would arrogantly post something you guys may or may not 
be aware of:

As was mentioned in another thread,

The Kernel Developers have removed /devfs from the linux-2.6.13.x series 
kernels, so I would expect it to be gone from any future kernel starting 
with the 2.6.13 series.

What this means is:

1)  You will need to install udev (or something like it) for the device 
filesystem.  If you merely compile the 2.6.13.x kernel, and try to boot 
with it without having udev installed, you will probably find that in 
99% of the cases, you will not boot up at all.

2)  Doing some research on udev (without going into configuring udev's 
rules), I find that udev makes device links only for the devices that it 
detects on boot.  Most of the X windows startup failures I have heard 
about are due to the /dev/mouse or /dev/psaux links no longer being made 
by udev, and X suddently cannot find your pointer device.  The solution 
that I know most people have done, including me, is to change the 
/dev/mouse device in the xorg.conf, or XFConfig-4 files to 
/dev/input/mice (mice seems to be preferred as that actually seems to 
change to always point to the active mouse in your system, rather than 
using /dev/input/mouse).  Now, I know a you can make a link to the real 
device yourself in the directory, but you run the chance that udev may 
not make that link at any given bootup, especially if udev doesn't 
detect the device.

Hope you find this helpful.